Argentina Superliga Previews, Predictions & Betting Tips
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Argentina Superliga
The Superliga Argentina, or the Argentine Primera División, is the top professional football league in Argentina run by the Argentine Football Association (AFA).
In 1891 Argentina became the first country outside the United Kingdom to establish a football league. In the early years, only teams from Buenos Aires and Rosario competed. The league turned professional in 1931 when 18 clubs broke away from the amateur leagues.
Since then, the season has been contested annually in four different formats and calendars, with the current format in place since the 2015 season.
Top flight football in Argentina has undergone many changes in format. Between 1985 and 1991 the competition resembled a European style season, moving from two championships every year to one home and away tournament.
Between 1991–2012 the single championship was split into two single-round tournaments, known as the Apertura and Clausura. The Apertura and Clausuratwo champions competed in a winner-takes-all match in 1991 but it was scrapped after Boca Juniors lost the final against Newell's Old Boys.
From 2012 to 2017 Argentina flirted with other confusing football tournament structures before settling on one major league with relegation and promotion.
The first Superliga Argentina took place from August 2017 to June 2018 between 28 teams. All the teams play each other in a single round-robin tournament with the winner awarded with a new trophy. Four teams with the worst three-year average will be relegated and two teams promoted from the Primera B Nacional.
There will therefore be 26 teams contesting the Superliga Argentina for the 2018-19 season, with four teams relegated and two teams promoted with the aim to reduce the number of teams to 20 in 2020.
As of 2017–18 the top five teams from Argentina are eligible to play the Copa Libertadores. The top four teams go straight into the group stage with the firth placed team entering the first stage of the competition. Clubs placed 6th to 11th in the Superliga Argentina are eligible for the Copa Sudamericana.
Argentina's most successful clubs come from Buenos Aires, with River Plate winning a record 36 titles and Boca Juniors close behind with 33. Racing Club have won 17 titles, Independiente 16 and San Lorenzo with 15. 27 different clubs have won the Primera Division title at least once.
Recent Superliga Argentina Winners & Runners-Up
| Season | Winners | Runners-Up |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ||
| 2017-18 | Boca Juniors | Godoy Cruz |
| 2016-17 | Boca Juniors | River Plate |
| 2016 | Lanus | San Lorenzo |
| 2015 | Boca Juniors | San Lorenzo |
| 2014 Torneo | Racing Club | River Plate |
| 2013-14 Torneo | San Lorenzo | Lanus |
| 2013-14 | River Plate | Boca Juniors |
| 2012-13 | Velez Sarsfield | Newell's Old Boys |
